‘Pet Pals TV’: Learning about double merle dogs
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Each and every week, Pet Pals TV shares a fun, interesting and informative story about our four-legged and furry friend population.
This week, Patty Spitler, the host of “Pet Pals TV,” was joined by Alyx Kopie from Pink Heart Rescue. Pink Heart Rescue is a rescue for blind and deaf dogs with a specific focus on the double merle gene.
“When you have two merle dogs and you breed them together, that can cause them to carry the double moral gene. So, each puppy is born with a 25% chance of being double merle and that can cause them to be blind, deaf, or both,” Kopie said.
Kopie says the coat pattern of a double merle dog is popular and that can be a problem.
“You can sell those puppies for more money, so breeders are willing to breed the double merle dogs and just get rid of the puppies that are born blind or deaf. Sometimes that means they euthanize the puppies. Other times, that means that they just dump them shelters, or a lot of times, at vet’s offices, so that’s where we step in,” Kopie said.
Pink Heart Rescue will hold an event at Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria in Broad Ripple on July 21 from 11:30 a.m. until 10:30 p.m.